Your letters for Saturday, Feb. 11

Calgary Herald

Updated: February 11, 2017

A sample of bitumen during a visit to one of Shell Albian Sands' mines in Sept. 2014. Shell Albian Sands, north of Fort McMurray, is an Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP). Albian Sands is a joint venture between Shell Canada (60%), Chevron Canada Limited (20%) and Marathon Oil Canada Corporation (20%) and consists of two mines, the Muskeg River and the Jackpine mines. These mining and extraction operations also include Scotford Upgrader (north east of Edmonton), accounts for 17 per cent of Canada's total oil production. Julia Kilpatrick/www.Pembina.orgwww.Pembina.org

Phasing out fossil fuels presents challenge

The federal Liberal government’s stated goal is to phase out the use of fossil fuels.

Looking at December’s trade numbers raises issues that I believe have never been explained. Canada had a surplus of approximately $1 billion in December, mainly driven by increased oil prices. Of the $46.4 billion in exports, a significant amount, $8.5 billion, or 18 per cent, was from energy resources.

What industries are being planned that will replace this significant revenue stream? I am also concerned to see that our non-energy-resource exports continue to drop, even with a 30 per cent discounted dollar.

So there must be a long-range plan. Please share it, so all of us can see the big picture.

I am sure Quebec and Ontario will be interested in seeing how their equalization dollars will be impacted.

Trevor King, De Winton

We can’t dodge blame for climate change

Re: “Finally, a solution to global warming” Letters, Feb. 8.

Sarcasm aside, Brian E. Morrison is correct in concluding the world would be saved, if not for the presence of human beings.

Since our ability to walk upright, no other species has caused such unfathomable, and in some cases, irreversible, damage to this planet. And we continue to do so at an alarming rate as the human population rapidly increases in unison.

The root cause of global warming is human activity and our predisposed nature to reproduce and consume, regardless of the impending consequences.

After thousands of years of evolution, such behaviours are difficult to change, if change is even possible. It all begins and ends with us.

Snow plowing complaints are a drop in the bucket

On the front page there were two articles. One about how Calgary’s metropolitan area is the fastest growing in Canada; the number 1.4 million being mentioned on the radio.

The other article was about how 311 and several councillors were being inundated by vast quantities of icy road complaints. The 311 service line apparently fielded 2,338 calls between Sunday and Wednesday. Wow! That’s sure a lot of . . . oh, wait a minute . . . with 1.4 million people, 2,338 calls is only 0.2 per cent.

Even if each of the councillors also received that many complaint calls, we are talking about an incredibly small percentage of our winter-city-loving population.

Does the city have more learning to do with respect to clearing the streets after a huge snowfall? Perhaps. But let’s keep things in check. This is one incredibly tiny squeaky wheel.

Missing a meeting due to traffic after such a snowfall is hardly an urgent situation, as one of the councillors seemed to insinuate.

Kirsten Pearce, Calgary

Take stock of our ability to clear roads

Simply, it’s a joke! I have been in Calgary for over 40 years, and we continue to struggle every year with how to manage snow removal.

Please, someone from the city stand up and provide a complete list of equipment and an inventory that would provide taxpayers some assurance that you have what it takes, or you don’t. That would include manpower, budget and leadership.

How do these managers and leaders within the city ranks get away with such miserable failure? What kind of metrics are used to evaluate performance and taxpayer satisfaction? Do a survey, public town halls, show your faces.

You say priority roads get preference; I totally agree, but what does that mean? A little sand, one pass with a grader?

Please, put the millions of dollars of equipment to work, double down on what is important and keep your citizens safe.

Warren Zarazun, Calgary

Mideast countries should be welcoming refugees

Re: “Calgarians protest as Trump shuns immigrants,” Jan. 30.

Calgarians (and other Canadians) protesting Donald Trump’s refugee actions seem blissfully unaware of the reasons behind the Brexit vote, or that Sweden, Denmark and a host of other EU countries have similarly tightened (or shuttered) their borders and that the popularity of the German and French governments is spiralling downward.

Perhaps, before pounding the pavement, one should ask themselves why?

So, protest if you must, but direct your anger, vitriol and hate toward those rich, spacious neighbouring countries that, with the exception of Jordan, have done little or nothing to alleviate this crisis of their very own people, and not toward America, which has given so much, to so many, for so long (just ask 11 million Mexicans and Latin Americans).

Further, in your demands of them, you should insist that they recognize women’s rights. Good luck with that!

Let’s just tinker with the name of the PCs

As we watch the competition on the political right try to create a single, unified political entity to challenge the NDP in the next election, the question has arisen what the new party’s name should be.

My suggested solution is to simply rename the current PC party, and call it the “Non Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta.”

I expect the name is available and would even make Wildrose supporters happy.

Francis Saville, Redwood Meadows

Don’t look for proof in the pudding

As National Plum Pudding Day (Feb. 12) approaches, I would like to make a plea to those with their heads buried in puddings, looking vainly for proof of something.

The proof is not, and never was, “in the pudding.” It is sad to see such a useful English adage suffering such abuse for the sake of convenience.

The original version, rather like “all that glitters is not gold,” serves to caution us against judging things by their outward appearances alone. It may be beautifully decorated; it may smell wonderful, but “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

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One month into building a new political party and MLA Derek Fildebrandt is discovering it’s not as easy at it looks. Not that building a new party has ever looked easy. Except perhaps to Fildebrandt who announced last month he was interim leader of the Freedom Conservative Party. I’m not sure if he expected thankful voters to stampede to his door, hoist him up in their thankful arms and parade him around the town square. Or maybe he at least expected some press coverage that didn’t in some way mock his checkered political past. He got neither.

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